Speaker
Description
The successive crises of recent years have shaped an environment of uncertainty that tends to constitute a new permanent reality. At the same time, the radical changes that Artificial Intelligence will bring to the entire social process will create a highly competitive economic field. In this new situation, Greek Regions are called upon to transform the methods of developmental policy and to completely reconstruct their structures. Anticipation, participation and visioning are crucial elements that can contribute to the development of the Region’s strategic intelligence in order to cope with the present and future challenges.
Adopting Foresight (OECD, 2021) can provide early warnings of challenges and opportunities, as well as the ability to study the present big picture. It enables Regions to identify and prioritize critical areas of intervention, allocate development resources effectively and make informed decisions based on comprehensive analysis. Cultivates collective intelligence, enhances strategic thinking and incorporates views and opinions of local actors and citizens. Creates the conditions for the alignment of regional development with knowledge (Foray, 2004) and mission economy (Mazzucato, 2021).
Moreover, it is worth noting that European Committee of the Regions, in a relevant opinion in October 2023, states that local and regional authorities (LRAs), as well as other local bodies and citizens -especially young people- should play a primary role in the practice of Foresight, thus actively contributing to the choices that will determine their future.
The aim of our research is how the Region of Thessaly can adopt Foresight as a method for Regional Development. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews with key informants, representatives of the quadruple helix, we attempt to determine which of the parameters of Regional Foresight are already covered by the Region of Thessaly and which are not. The qualitative analysis of the responses is based on the methodology of Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 2017) and seeks to develop a coherent, effective and applicable framework for Regional Foresight. We will present some initial findings of our ongoing research.
References
FORAY, D. 2004. Economics of knowledge, MIT press.
GLASER, B. G. & STRAUSS, A. L. 2017. Discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research, Routledge.
MAZZUCATO, M. 2021. Mission economy: A moonshot guide to changing capitalism, Penguin UK.
OECD 2021. Foresight and Anticipatory Governance in Practice. Lessons in effective foresight institutionalisation. Strategic Foresight Unit. Office of the Secretary-General. OECD.
| Keywords | Foresight; Regional Foresight; Regional Development |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
